Laxus was incredibly hungover.

Waking up felt like rising from the dead. He had to claw his way out of the grave, the heavy pressure on his limbs making it almost impossible to get free. He felt dirty and sore; his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and his throat was closed. Everything tasted like cotton and his mind was hazy. His head throbbed, a sledgehammer against his brain. Gods alive, he'd never been so hungover in his entire life, not even that one time he went on a bender with Bickslow and Evergreen.

The feel of tender fingers running through his hair pulled him further back into the real world. He could feel breath against his face and taste the spice of Gajeel on the tip of his tongue. He forced his eyes open, squinting into the dim light and found himself staring into Gajeel's chest, still covered in soft bruises from the day before.

"Decide ta join the living?" his voice was husky and soft, a sound that reminded Laxus of a jaguar's purr, "How's yer head?"

"Feels like hell," Laxus could barely get his voice out and it made his head buzz terribly to speak, "Goddamn…"

He nuzzled into Gajeel's chest as he stretched, reaching for something on the nightstand and chuckling when Laxus wrapped his arms around his waist. He brought back a glass of water and a couple of pills which Laxus downed voraciously.

"Last night got little wild, eh?"

"Just a little," Laxus mumbled, rubbing his face back into Gajeel's chest and fighting off the lethargy that was coaxing him to slip back to sleep.

"I told ya not to take anythin' from anyone else," the raven teased, taming the blonde hairs at the side of Laxus's face gently, "Ya didn't listen,"

"Are ya really gonna blame me for something I did while I was drunk?" Laxus growled, slowly starting to remember bits and pieces from the night, "B'sides, I blame you."

"Gihi, me? How was that my fault?"

"You didn't take good enough care of me, obviously,"

"Oh? I didn't, eh?" he could hear the grin on Gajeel's face even though he didn't see it. Laxus sighed and drew his hand across Gajeel's ribs, catching sight of a dark splotch on his skin and raised a brow at the bruises that had starting spotting his wrists. He clicked his teeth. He'd forgotten that Gajeel had cuffed him, the absolute freak. He'd been so natural at it too, didn't fumble around or ask permission. He'd had Laxus just the way he'd wanted him. He ran his tongue against his teeth as a quick flash of pleasure roused his body at the memory.

He'd never been under someone's power like that before… his mind reeled just thinking about it…

"Well… maybe you took care of me later," Laxus smiled against his chest and heard Gajeel suck in a breath. He took hold of Laxus's hand and flipped it over, looking over the damage he'd done the night before.

"Shit… I didn't mean ta do that," he mumbled.

Laxus crossed his arms and rested his chin against his forearms, finally lifting himself up enough to meet Gajeel's ruby eyes, "T's fine. It doesn't hurt."

"Guess I need ta be a little more careful, eh, fairy?" Gajeel stretched beneath him and Laxus could hear his bones creak. He let out a sigh and rested his hands at the small of Laxus's back, his arms too short to make it all the way to his hips.

"Mm… I don't like it when you call me fairy," Laxus muttered, tilting his head to the side as he studied the curve of Gajeel's jaw. He hadn't shaved the past couple of days and so short black hair was already trying to fight its way across his jawline and cheeks.

"Ya don't like Sparky either," he smirked, rubbing his fingers gently up and down Laxus's spine.

"Mph…"

"It's just 'cuz I like how light your skin is," his smile turned a little soft as he spoke and his red eyes gentle, "Like porcelain…"

Laxus raised a brow at him and Gajeel darted his eyes to the side, slightly nervous.

"Er… you know… and blonde… shit like that," he muttered as his cheeks flared. Laxus grinned.

"And Sparky?"

"Cuz you're electrifying,"

Laxus snorted, "You and your weird fuckin' pet names. As long as you don't call me that in bed, whatever, I guess."

Gajeel's smile widened a little bit more and Laxus clicked his teeth, "You called me a fairy in bed last night."

"Gihi… yeah… but totally not because I thought you were actin' fragile or anything,"

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say Redfox."

Gajeel's smile disappeared just slightly, "Don't use my last name like that."

"Oh? But you can call me whatever you want?"

"Friends don't call me by my last name," he growled, "So you sure as hell ain't."

"Fine," he conceded, not willing to fight over it, "Should I just call you asshole instead?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something,"

"Hmph," they settled into an amiable silence. Gajeel seemed content to just explore Laxus's body with his hands, tracing invisible designs across his back, up his shoulders, and ultimately ending up back at his hair. For a brief second, he trailed his fingertips across the sharp edges of his scar, making Laxus's eyes flutter shut as he sighed against the feeling. For a man with such rough, calloused hands, Gajeel had a feather light touch and it almost eased him back to sleep. He could feel the man's heartbeat beneath him, rose and fell with each steady breath. Laxus realized he really liked this closeness and sort of wished it wouldn't have to end.

"So…" Gajeel's voice shattered the quiet and Laxus opened an eye to him, "How much of last night do you remember?"

Laxus paused, thinking, "All of it."

"Ah… shit…" Gajeel laughed tensely.

"What? Say something you didn't mean?" Laxus smirked. He told himself he wasn't upset or disappointed but there was a part of himself that immediately felt dejected. He quickly reminded himself just how long they'd been dating… which officially had only been two days even thought they'd spent much longer than that being intimate. He couldn't really blame the man for not feeling the same way.

"No…" he sighed, though Laxus could see the way the vein in his neck twitched tensely as he spoke, "It's more like I said too much."

Laxus fell into silence at that. The raven had always been extremely transparent when he was drunk. Although his own self-doubts were immediately banished he was still concerned. Gajeel had said a lotlast night… and some of it was extremely revealing. It explained a few things about the way he acted, Laxus supposed, and the way he regarded the Lightning Mage. But it wasn't good or healthy. But then, Laxus couldn't say he was too far from the same way.

"I probably sounded fucking nuts," he muttered.

"Yeah…" Laxus mused and could almost feel Gajeel's inward cringe, "We need to work on your self-confidence,"

Gajeel's brow furrowed and he shot Laxus a purely confused look, "I don't think we're talking about the same things."

"Oh, you meant calling me a god? Nah, that was sexy as hell," he leaned forward, grinding his hips against Gajeel's thighs as if to give what he was saying more meaning and Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the blonde, clearly put off. Laxus's smile vanished and he dropped his voice, suddenly very serious, "No, the shit that pissed me off was you saying you're not good enough for anyone."

Gajeel clicked his teeth and turned his head to the side. He pulled up his knee under the blankets, forcing Laxus to have to readjust his position to rest between his legs. He settled back on his chest, this time sliding up to rest a little closer to the raven's face.

"Oi, you listening to me?"

"Before we start arguing and ruin the weekend, why don't we just agree that this is something we can't see eye to eye on," Gajeel's words were deliberate and they took Laxus back for a moment.

"If you think I'm lettin' you off that easy, you're in for a rude awakening," Laxus grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel bit back at him, trying to shut him down yet again. Laxus sighed heavily. Getting angry with him wouldn't do any good; would probably only validate his negative thoughts. He hated how he could never find the right words to say. He huffed, though, and decided to just go for it.

"Do you know how many things there are that I admire about you?" Laxus murmured and he could feel the muscles of Gajeel's chest tighten.

"Lax-"

"You don't back down from a challenge, even when you think you'll lose,"

"Neither do you,"

"You'll do anything for your friends, your guild, your family…"

"So would almost everyone else in Fairy Tail, Laxus,"

"You don't back down from the hard decisions, you face them head on, no matter what that means," Gajeel clicked his teeth but this time he didn't repudiate Laxus's words. He reached for Gajeel's hand beneath the blankets, enjoying the way his tan skin clashed against his own as they laced fingers. Gajeel relaxed slightly and Laxus propped his cheek against his palm as he continued, "You're one of the strongest men I know… one of the strongest Mages I know…"

"That's bullshit," Gajeel whispered but there was no conviction in his voice.

"You know… Hajime told me about how you saved his life."

"Yeah… after I took the sight in one 'a his eyes," Gajeel growled bitterly. Laxus refused to budge.

"Blinded in one eye is a lot less than death, Gajeel. He got a chance to live, get married, have a kid and move on from Phantom Lord. His other two options were to die or stay until the guild was disbanded and he had no idea that would happen. He wouldn't have the life he has now without you fighting back… And Juvia-"

"What about, Juvia?" Gajeel snapped, suddenly stiff and defensive.

"Juvia thinks the world of you,"

He could feel his body getting tense again, as if it could shield him against the sudden anger that was lighting up in his chest, "I fucking had my way with her, Laxus,"

"You know that's not how she sees it,"

He jerked from him then, taking his hand away and pushing himself up onto his hands, his teeth clenched as if he were ready to fight, "She was conditionedto think like that… like it was all her fault."

Laxus also pushed himself up to kneel before him, not allowing him a chance to escape if Gajeel decided to end the conversation, "And so were you."

Gajeel shrank back from him, brows drawn together in rage and confusion, "What did you day?"

"I said so were you."

The look on Gajeel's face was similar to if Laxus had just slapped him and it startled the blonde slightly, "I… No, I wasn't."

"You said it yourself, Gajeel, and even Hajime said it, that he got you when you were young. Jose groomed you since you were a kid to do anything for the guild, no matter what it was. So when he told you that you had to kill, you did it, because what would happen to you if you didn't? You'd be killed or kicked out of the only place that you'd been able to call home since Metalicana left,"

"Watch it…"

Laxus gritted his teeth, feeling more and more frustrated as he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. He didn't know what compelled him to do so, maybe just the need to do something, but he grabbed Gajeel's knees and dragged him towards him. His eyes were wide and some of his fire extinguished when Laxus's hands landed solidly on either side of him.

"You're not a bad man, Gajeel, you've just made bad choices. There's a difference."

"Oh, fuck off with that shit," he bit back, eyes still full of indignation, "Even you said you didn't forgive yourself."

Laxus refused to let him win, although his words did strike him for a moment, "Yes but I don't hate myself for what happened."

Gajeel stared up at him but didn't respond, clearly confused. He didn't see a difference between the two and Laxus pressed his point, leaning down a little to be closer to the Iron Dragon. He didn't want Gajeel to think he was upset or angry, didn't want their weekend to end in another fight.

"I don't forgive what happened because what I did to you was awful, but hating myself wouldn't fix it… Juvia showed me that," Gajeel's eyes widened at that but he kept Laxus's gaze, for once not breaking away or trying to hide, "Hating myself won't change what happened and won't make me a better person… but loving you has."

Gajeel's face flushed with red at that and the rest of his fire had been snuffed. He crossed his arms and turned his head to the side as if it could hide the rose that colored him down his neck.

"Did ya get that shit from Juvia too?" he muttered and Laxus smiled gently down at him.

"Nope," he teased, running his hands up tanned thighs and hips, "Came up with that by myself."

"Aren't you just full of surprises…" Gajeel breathed, his eyes fluttering shut at he stopped Laxus's procession at his waist, "If ya don't stop we won't get outta here before checkout."

"And?"

"And then I'll have to pay for three nights instead of two."

Laxus grinned down at him devilishly, "All you're doing is convincing me not to let you up,"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and went to push him off but Laxus caught hold of his wrists and forced them down. Gajeel's eyes widened slightly and he gritted his teeth.

"Laxus… my wrists…" he hissed, trying to jerk away but finding that under the larger man's weight he was unable to.

"Calm down, you know I won't hurt you," Laxus leaned down and met his anxious scarlet eyes, "You got to hold me down and take what you wanted…"

"Yee… but you asked fer it," he seemed to sink into the mattress, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, "I ain't warnin' you again."

Laxus leaned down to kiss his neck, completely ignoring the comment.

"Would it be so bad if we stayed onemore day?" he murmured against his skin, feeing a tremor go through the raven beneath him. Gajeel clicked his teeth. In a swift motion, he arched his back and twisted, using his hip to knock Laxus's leg out from under him and roll on top of the blonde. Laxus blinked, not quite sure what had just happened; he barely realized that his mind was spinning from the sudden movement and Gajeel was straddling him with a smug look on his face. He rubbed the side of his head in an attempt to calm his sudden vertigo.

"Did… did you just use a wrestling move on me?" Laxus growled, feeling much more nauseous than just moments before.

Gajeel winked at him and jumped off the bed, his movements fluid and lithe compared to Laxus as he fumbled to sit up, head still swimming uncomfortably.

"Let's get cleaned up, Sparky," he called over his shoulder as he headed for the bathroom, "I'm sure Mira's chomping at the bit to hear how yer weekend went."

Laxus grunted and watched as he disappeared from view. He let out a tense sigh and he stood slowly, running a hand down the back of his neck as he did so. His first step was shaky and a dull soreness in his hips made its presence known, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he crossed the suite after the object of his desire. As he passed the window, a flutter of motion caught his eye and for a moment he paused and stared, looking to see where it could have come from. His eyes focused for a moment on the bamboo forest and he found he couldn't help scanning the stalks to see if someone was there. Maybe it was lingering paranoia after everything he'd been through the past few months or maybe it was spurred on by the withdrawal his body was suffering from, but he suddenly felt as if he were being watched from the sea of green; what was once a wall to the outside world was suddenly thick camouflage for an intruder. He set his jaw just as his eyes made out a shape in the haze and his heart suddenly slammed in his chest, turning his veins to ice.

There's someone out there…

"Sparky?" Gajeel's voice interrupted his sudden spiral and he tore his gaze from the window, "You gonna join me or what?"

He hesitated, looked back to the place where he saw the shadow and released the clench in his teeth, "Yeah… coming."

Whatever he had seen was gone and he shook the lingering delusion from his mind as he turned into the bathroom where Gajeel was waiting, a fire in his eyes tempting him to forget whatever it was that had bothered him as he entered. His hands were on Gajeel's waist in and instant, lips searching for raven. The irrational fear melted like ice under the hot water and he scolded himself for ever thinking something so stupid in the first place. What reason would anyone have to follow them out here?

They just barely made it to checkout in time, gaining yet more critical looks from the attendant. Laxus had realized that none of his shirts were high enough to conceal the generous amount of marks Gajeel had left on him and while Gajeel had his long black hair to hide what Laxus had left, his own hair was cropped short and spiked back. Between his neck and his wrists he was sure he looked like a sight but his pride wouldn't let him accept Gajeel's scarf to help cover them up.

"Everyone at the guild will see them," Gajeel smirked over at him, "You sureyou don't want it?"

"Just don't leave them so high up next time," he growled as they made their way to the train station.

"People will ask questions."

Laxus glanced over at him from the corner of his eye, "Would you rather they not?"

"I don't care," Gajeel sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked, "Figured you wouldn't, though."

"I'll just send 'em your way, how's that?" Laxus grinned and Gajeel just huffed in reply, although it wasn't mean spirited, "Do ya have any ground rules for when we get back to the guild?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Laxus smiled softly down at him, "Can I hold your hand at the guild?"

Gajeel blinked a couple of times before pulling his gaze from the blonde, "Don't see why not."

Laxus walked a little closer to him, "Can I kiss you?"

Blush started heating up Gajeel's neck despite how he was trying to keep it subdued, "Sure."

"Is there anything I'm notallowed to do?" Laxus pressed but Gajeel didn't answer right away. He stopped and turned to him, red eyes sparking as he reached out and picked up Laxus's hand.

"If I really cared about what other people thought-" he murmured, pulling Laxus's ring finger to his face and letting his lips brush against his knuckles gently as he spoke, bashful warmth quickly overtaking his face, "-I wouldn't have made us matching rings, would I?"

Laxus felt like his circuits had suddenly been fried as Gajeel planted a light kiss against the silver band and dropped his hand, picking up his pace down the sidewalk again. Laxus was close on his heels, his heart shuttering erratically in his chest and his stomach fluttering. Damn, he'd really liked that.

"I was just worried you wouldn't want the attention… we're not exactly subtle."

Gajeel just smirked, "I've been stared at for one reason or another my whole life. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"Even when it's your guildmates?"

He just rolled his eyes, his easy-going smile never leaving his face, and Laxus couldn't help but feel incomprehensibly warm by the raven's side, "Especially if it's my guildmates."